«Whom are we in Israel expecting, but You?»
«And do you believe that I am the Expected One?»
«Simon has never lied, neither is he a boy that gets excited over nothing. Age and sorrow have made him as mature as a wise man. In any case… even if he had not recognised Your true nature, Your deeds would have spoken and said that You are a “Saint”. He who accomplishes the deeds of God, must be a man of God. And You accomplish them. And You do things in a way that says how truly You are the Man of God. My friend came to You because of the fame of Your miracles and he received a miracle. And I know that Your way is strewn with miracles. Why, then, not believe that You are the Expected One? Oh! It is so sweet to believe what is good! We have to pretend to believe as good, many things which are good, for peace sake, because it would be useless to change them; many dubious words that seem adulation, praise, kindness of heart, and instead are sarcasm and blame, poison concealed by honey, we must pretend we believe them, although we know they are poison, blame, sarcasm… we must do so because… it is not possible to do otherwise, and we are weak against a whole world which is strong, and we are alone against a whole world which is hostile to us… why, then, should we have difficulty in believing what is good? On the other hand the time is ripe and the signs of the time are here. What might still be missing to make belief certain and beyond all possible doubt, should be supplied by our anxiety to believe and to appease our hearts in the certainty that the expectation is finished and that the Redeemer has come, the Messiah is here… He Who will give peace to Israel, and to the children of Israel, Who will let us die without anguish, knowing that we have been redeemed, and will enable us to live without that nostalgic feeling for our dead ones… Oh! the dead! Why mourn their death, if not because, as they have no longer any children, they have not yet the Father and God?»
«Has your father been dead long?»
«Three years, and my mother seven… but I no longer lament their deaths… I also would like to be where I hope they are awaiting Heaven.»
«In which case you would not have the Messiah as your guest.»
«That is true. Now I am in a better position than they are, because I have You… and my heart is calmed by this joy.»